Hope in The Desert
by dragongoddess13
Summary: One thing Rey knew for certain, there was no place for Hope in the desert. Unfortunately Ben Solo had never gotten the message. Story 1 in the Hope in The Desert Series


Hope In The Desert

Smuggler Ben/Scavenger Rey

xXx

Ben Solo was not in a good mood. He should have known better than to do this favor for his mother. He loved her unconditionally, but she was a sly woman, and an incredible politician and he shouldn't have so easily bent to her will. That being said, he could complain all he wanted about her manipulating him, the fact of the matter remained, she didn't have to do much convincing. He did his best to stay neutral in the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order, but truth be told he wasn't too keen on a First Order victory.

General Leia Organa knew that and so she never hesitated to come to him when she needed something done under the radar. Something like, traveling to a backwater planet in the outer rim to retrieve a piece of a star killer that could aid the Resistance in shielding their cruisers against First Order tracking technology. It was a rare piece, something he wasn't all that confident he could find. Jakku was a scavengers paradise and he was sure someone would have found the piece and traded it by now.

That, of course, wasn't going to stop him from looking anyway. If there was even a shred of hope out there, he was going to reach for it. At this point in his life it was close to the only thing that had gotten him through the years. He'd spent years fighting off the dark side of the force. Years becoming comfortable in his own skin, understanding that his family legacy did not define him. He fought hard, coming to terms with the voices in his head and then learning to counter them. There were days he didn't think he would ever succeed and hope was all he had.

He wouldn't give up if there was hope.

Ben flew over the dunes of Jakku, eyes peeled for the wreck he was looking for. He found the wreck twenty clicks from Nima outpost and set the Falcon down just out of sight behind the small mountain the star destroyer had crashed up against. He neared the break in the hull, noticing a land speeder parked in the shadows not far down. Someone was already there, a scavenger he had little doubt. He simply hoped this wouldn't end badly.

xXx

Rey was starving. She'd had very little to eat in the last few days, the pickings scarce. She was picking her usual search areas clean and would need to move soon, a feat she wasn't hopeful would end well for her. Establishing new territory presented challenges she didn't want to think about right now. Before she thought of moving, however, she would have to make sure she found everything of value first. Which meant crawling into the smallest and most dangerous parts of the wreck.

Within a few hours she hadn't found much, nothing that would amount to a full ration, which she desperately needed if she was going to be able to keep up with demand. That is until she stumbled across a hidden compartment in a warped bulkhead. She recognized the piece only by description, a signal blocker to ward off tracking beacons and locators. It was still in good shape too, most likely protected from the elements in its hiding place.

Rey grinned, a rare feeling of joy settling over her as she thought about all the portions she would get for it. Her stomach was already growling, the first time in days since she'd reached the point of such deep hunger, her stomach didn't even bother to announce it anymore.

"Let's see him try to stiff me for this." she muttered to herself, bagging the part and making her way back to the main body. She'd just touched down on the uneven floor when she realized she wasn't alone anymore.

"I don't suppose if I ask nicely you'll just give me that signal blocker?"

Rey turned, finding a tall man not far off from her. He didn't look all that dangerous but Rey knew looks could be deceiving.

For as long as she could remember she'd lived in this hellscape. She'd fought and struggled and waited for years. Three thousand, six hundred and seventy two days if the running tally on the wall of her walker was to be believed. But she had survived and she wasn't about to be taken in by a pretty face, not when she could practically smell the polystarch bread calling her name.

"I'll take that as a no." he continued when she didn't answer. The wrap and goggles around her face was still in place, so she had the advantage of not being easily read by this unknown. "So look," he went on, holding up his hands as he moved closer. "I know you worked hard for that, but I really need it. It could make or break the conflict for the Resistance. I'm willing to pay for it. I have quite a few credits at my disposal."

Rey didn't have to think about it. Credit were of no use to her. Only scrap could be traded for portions and the few times she'd seen other scavengers show up with credits they were found dead soon after, turned away by Plutt at the outpost and robbed by his men when there were no witnesses around. She shook her head, clutching her bag tighter against herself. The man sighed.

"Well then I'm sorry. But I can't let you take that."

The next thing she knew he was running toward her and she put up a defensive stance, to fight him off. They scrapped, both landing a few good hits until Rey miscalculated and brought him down on her with a leg sweep. They wrestled for control with him on top of her and thrashed and kicked and punched wildly, but he was clearly better trained as he dodged even her unpredictable blows.

"Stop!" he exclaimed, finally managing to pin her down. He looking down at her, his eyes widening a bit. "Stars, how old are you?" he muttered and it was only then that Rey realized her cover had come off in the struggle. She used his momentary surprise to her advantage and brought her knee up, hitting him in the groin. He yelped in pain, letting her go and rolling off. "Well played." He wheezed in pain.

While he was down, Rey scooped up her cover and bag and ran as fast as she could out of there, making it to her speeder and racing off toward the outpost. If he wanted the part so bad he could buy it off of Plutt after she traded it in. But come hell or high water she was going to get her portions out of this.

xXx

Ben glared out at the sand below, flying the Falcon back to the outpost he passed a few hours before. If she intended to trade the part in that was the quickest place to do it. He'd felt bad for attacking her, but he needed that part and he couldn't let the Resistance, or his mother down.

Nima Outpost was crawling with scavengers venturing in from a long day of work. The cleaning stations were packed and there were speeder bikes and other vehicles all over the place. Finding her red speeder was a little difficult so he parked and unloaded his own speeder, heading into the outpost.

He spotted her in the que waiting to trade the part in. She was only a few back from the front of the line and standing out of the way, observing, he noticed something he had, admittedly noticed before and refused to acknowledge.

The young woman was razor thin. He could see it from a distance, how easily he would lose her in a crowd, slipping through bodies. He'd felt it under her clothes as well, the protrusion of her bones through her skin. She was emaciated, starving. It was any wonder she was so desperate to keep what she'd found. It would most assuredly fetch her quite a few portions.

So Ben stayed back and watched. He watched as she handed the part over, watched in disgust as the junk boss looked it over, nearly salivated and he watched as anger over took him as she walked away defeated with three portions, barely half of what the part was worth. Ben felt the rage surge up and forced it back down. That part should have been enough to feed her a week if not more and instead she was slinking away with barely enough to get her through the next two days. His anger at the injustice only doubled as he watched the junk boss' slimy little grin at his new prize.

xXx

Rey had conquered worse odds. Being left on Jakku as a small child as well as in the care of a beast like Unkar Plutt should have been enough to grind her into the sand, but here she was, alive, surviving. Barely. Three portions wasn't awful, it wasn't good either, but putting up more than a cursory fight over the deal would have ended in Plutt's favor. It always ended in Plutt's favor. He saw to that quite well.

Rey hunkered down in her overturned walker, waiting for the polystarch bread to form and watering her little plant. When it was done, she settled down to eat. The other two portions she would save for tomorrow evening and the evening after that. If she was lucky she'd find more parts tomorrow and the two remaining portions could become a reserve for her. She wasn't entirely hopeful on the matter. Hope had no place here in the barren wasteland, in their nowhere, but she would hold on to the idea that she wouldn't be here for much longer.

With that thought, Rey got up and scratched another mark in the wall. Three thousand, six hundred and seventy-three days. Just over ten years she'd been free of Plutt's compound. Too old to be of use to him in his home, but old enough to be of use as a scavenger.

Rey was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of an approaching speeder bike. That wasn't entirely unheard of, but this one was moving a bit too close to her. She listened for a moment as the speeder grew closer and then stopped just outside. She stood up, grabbing her quarterstaff and positioning herself to strike.

"I know you're in there." A familiar voice called out. "You're probably waiting to attack me, so I'll just say this, I completely deserve it."

Rey hesitated before inching out, peeking around the edge of the open hatch to find the man from before standing there, hands raised.

"Hello princess, hope I'm not interrupting anything." he greeted.

"Surely you don't actually believe I still have the part?" she replied.

"No, I know you don't. Watched you turn it in for portions at Nima." he explained. "I'm actually here to make you an offer."

"For what?"

"A bit of revenge."

xXx

Ben hadn't actually expected her to let him in. He honestly thought she would tell him to get lost. She had every right after the way he'd treated her before. But she let him in and despite the vessel she lived in, she'd made it quite cozy.

"What do you want?" she asked, getting right to the point.

"You and I both know that part was worth more than he gave you for it." he told her.

She scoffed. "Almost everything, everyone brings him is worth more than he gives them for it. How do you think he's stayed on top for so long?"

"And you just let it go?" he asked incredulously.

"What am I going to do about it? Charge his trading hut, only to be gunned down by his men who are better armed, better trained and most importantly, better fed?" she questioned. "Or better yet, should I rally the other scavengers who are content, if not complicit in the status quo?"

"Fair enough." Ben brushed it off. "Alright look," he began, getting straight to the point. "I need that part and he has it so I'm going to steal it. Now, I need someone who knows Plutt to help me. Someone who knows how he stores things, where he stores things and the best time to break in."

Rey stared at him for a moment before doubling over in peels of laughter. Ben scowled.

"You want to break in to one of the most secure places on this miserable ball of sand? Seriously? Have you lost your kriffing mind?"

"No, but I have to get that part." he told her hotly. "The hope of the Resistance rides on the tech they can pull from that part."

"Hope?" Rey questioned incredulously. "There's no place for hope here."

Ben looked up at her as if it were the first time he was actually seeing her. "Maybe it's time to make room."

Rey shook her head. "Even if I did help you, I have to live here after you get what you want."

Ben shook his head. "Then come with me." he suggested. She looked skeptical. "What's keeping you here? This place is a barren wasteland. There's nothing here but sand and death. You are literally starving to death, withering away. Come with me."

"You don't even know me, why do you care?" Rey snapped. She was tired of this. She'd had a long hard day, she wanted to finish her portions and go to bed, pretending she wasn't still starving.

Ben looked startled. Why did he care? He settled for the truth. "I don't know." He said. "But whatever reason you have for staying here can't be worth all the abuse you take."

Rey looked away, her eyes unintentionally moving toward the wall and her daily tally. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I can't help you." She paused. "But it's dark now and you shouldn't travel in the desert at night."

He was sure that was about as specific an offer as she was going to give him.

xXx

The sun had barely risen when she awoke the next morning. The man- and damned if she didn't just realize she'd never gotten his name or offered hers- was gone. In the place he'd curled up on the floor the night before was a stack of vacuum seals portions, enough to get her through the next two weeks. Her stomach started rumbling just looking at them.

Rey pulled one from pile and tore it open, setting about preparing the food inside. These portions were different than the ones Plutt traded. They were better quality and better tasting and Rey found she was full after just two.

As Rey sat in her overturned walker, reveling in the feeling of fullness she hadn't felt in, she didn't know how long, her thoughts drifted to the man from yesterday. If he really thought he could rob Plutt he had another thing coming. Plutt's shack was just a facade. The real stronghold was beneath the ground, carefully guarded and heavily secured by, not only his men, but mechanical security measures. The mechanical security was the worst of the challenges he would face. When she'd lived with Plutt he had taught her to build and fix things and those machines had been her test dummies. Tripping anyone of his alarms would result in certain death, either at the hands of his security droids or his goons.

It would serve him right, honestly, for thinking he could just waltz in here and spout some bullshit about hope to get what he wanted. What did she or anyone else in this hellscape care about some "war" in the farthest reaches of space. It wasn't even really a war was it. More like a rise in insurgency. A small faction of zealots that still believed in the Empire rising up to cause chaos. The Republic would crush them and the universe would go back to being the same crappy place it had always been.

Except… there was something about him. Was that cliche? To think there was something special about someone she didn't even know. Maybe special wasn't the right word, maybe it was more, familiar. She'd never met him before yesterday, but there was a familiar comfort in his presence. She'd felt that only once before, from an alien who stopped in Nima Outpost to do repairs. He had said it was the force and the fact that she could feel it made her a sensitive. He'd said some other things, but she had chalked him up to being crazy and tuned him out. Now, though, now it seemed like she should have paid more attention.

Rey sighed, standing and snatching her cover off the table in frustration. "What the hell am I doing?" she muttered to herself. She pulled on her cover, grabbed her satchel and quarterstaff and then ducked through the broken hatch. She boarded her speeder and headed off for Nima Outpost.

She pulled up just as the man left the circle of tents.

"Change your mind Princess?" he asked, smirking.

Rey climbed down off her speeder, pulling her goggles up and face mask down. "Maybe."

He grinned and Rey was struck by his boyish charm.

"No need to worry, I bought it from him. Fair and square."

Rey looked outraged. "You paid for it? You gave that beast credits?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

Rey squinted at him. "Maybe? What does that mean?"

"It means, the beast got exactly what he deserved. Now, last chance to tag along princess, I've gotta get going before he figures out I duped him."

Rey shook her head. "You don't even know me. We don't even know each other's names."

He shot his hand out to her. "Ben, Ben Solo." He said, smirking at the way she was thrown off kilter.

"Rey." She replied taking his hand. She froze mid shake. "Solo? Like Han Solo?"

"My father." Ben explained sounding proud.

"He made the kessel run in fourteen parsecs." She was smiling now, caught up in a child's hero worship.

"Twelve actually. In the Millenium Falcon." He replied throwing a gesture over his shoulder.

She looked starry eyed in the direction he was pointing but he had parked a couple of miles away, so she wasn't likely to see it.

"Ya know, my dad retired. Left me the Falcon and well, I haven't found a copilot yet."

She looked so excited and Ben found himself in awe of the way it lit up her face, smoothing out the tired drawn out lines. But then it was gone, the spark fading from her eyes, the smile slowly disappearing.

"I can't." she sounded so disappointed, and she was. Rey shook her head and turned to walk away. She couldn't go with him, she had to stay, wait.

"Wait." he called before she could get too far. She did, turning to look back at him. "Here, take this." he held out a small transponder for her. "In case you change your mind, and well, in case anyone saw you talking to me."

Rey stared at it. She shouldn't but she did. She took it, muttering a thanks before turning on her heels and climbing back up on her speeder.

Ben watched until she was out of sight before he too turned and walked away.


End file.
